posted
My newest post on Legion Abstract is something I've been working on for a long, long time. (And I'm not done yet, so please help with additions or corrections if you feel like it.) I hope people find it useful and/or interesting.
posted
The established chronology of the Pre-boot Legion was established long before the Internet in THE AMAZING WORLD OF DC COMICS #9, November 1975 and it's been the basis for all other lists which includes the chronology involved in the SECRETS OF THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #1-3 (Jan-Mar 1981), THE OFFICIAL LEGION OF SUPER HEROES INDEX #1-5 (1986), and in WHO'S WHO IN THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #1-3 (Apr-Jul 1988). And probably several other "official" magazines throughout the years as well, but which I can't recall at the moment.
From: San Diego, CA | Registered: Jul 2003
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At the moment I'm going to stick with the order as presented in the Showcase edition. At some point I may compare it to the... what shall I call it? Externally established chronology? that you mention, and decide which makes more sense to me.
Anyway, it only really makes a difference for the earliest stories. I hope.
Superboy resigned in LSH2 [to use your numbering] # 259. This was the first issue of the second volume of LSH, continuing from Superboy and the Legion # 258.
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From: The Stasis Zone | Registered: Jul 2003
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Eryk Davis Ester
Created from the Cosmic Legends of the Universe!
posted
Most of the "official" chronology is based around clues internal to the stories, such as flashbacks to Superboy's swearing in, at which Brainy is present (which thus implies Supergirl joined first, etc.).
From: Liberty City | Registered: Jul 2003
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quote:Originally posted by Eryk Davis Ester: Most of the "official" chronology is based around clues internal to the stories, such as flashbacks to Superboy's swearing in, at which Brainy is present (which thus implies Supergirl joined first, etc.).
That's pretty much what I figured. But I don't really feel bound by... well, by the example you gave, anyway; I don't think Binder and Plastino intended that guy to be Brainiac 5. It's very clever but I don't think you can put any weight on it. If DC has put weight on it then that's interesting but it still doesn't mean that the information's there in the actual comics. (Which kind of makes it hypocritical of me to rely on the RPG sourcebook for the 5YG stuff, but oh well.)
By the way, I just came across the timeline threads in the Encyclopedia Galactica section of this site. Would have saved me a bit of time if I had known that those were there.
Eryk Davis Ester
Created from the Cosmic Legends of the Universe!
posted
It's not the swearing in in Adv. #247, but the flashback to his swearing in in Adv. #323 that's relevant. The later re-coloring of the character in Adv. #247 was an attempt to bring the two stories in line.
Of course, chronologies tend to ignore other textual evidence, such as Sun Boy implying that he'd joined before Lightning Lad.
From: Liberty City | Registered: Jul 2003
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quote:Originally posted by Eryk Davis Ester: Of course, chronologies tend to ignore other textual evidence, such as Sun Boy implying that he'd joined before Lightning Lad.
When was that, EDE?
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From: Champaign, IL | Registered: Jul 2003
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Eryk Davis Ester
Created from the Cosmic Legends of the Universe!
posted
It's one of the flashbacks to the Ranzz origin stories (Ayla's introduction, maybe?) Sun Boy says something along the lines of "Remember Lightning Lad's origin that he told us when he joined?" which seems to imply that Sun Boy was there when LL joined.
From: Liberty City | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
You miss that (post-LSH4 110, pre-Rift) Thunder and Star Boy resign in Lgs 81.
ERG-1/Wildfire's a tricky one - either he joins in Lgs 81, LSH4 125 or Lost #3. Ask me depending on which day of the week it is...
As for the Rift, I do **NOT** count them as all having continuous service over that. I only count those on either the Lost team or Brande's "Legion Subterfuge Squad" (including Triad and those building Legion World). As such: *Gates and Element Lad "leave" force majeure between the events of LSH 125 and LW 6/2 & Lost 1. *Apparition, Spark, M'Onel, Kinetix, Ferro, Karate Kid and Magno (if he counts) leave freely and, relatively speaking, of their own will after the formal disbandment. *Monstress & Live Wire, of course, die (With Garth technically resigning first) *Shikari, Chuck & Gear join (Arguably, Wildfire too).
That leaves the following as having continuous service:
posted
Thanks. I just this afternoon looked at the reboot timeline in the Encyclopedia Galactica section, and there's a lot of stuff in there that I either don't have, or have differently. It may take me some time to sort it all out. Especially since there are a lot of gaps in my comic collection for the reboot.
But it wasn't so much that I counted them all having continuous service; it's more that I was thinking, once the Legion was back up and running in #3, that they wouldn't wait for, say, Apparition or Spark to physically show up before considering them to be Legionnaires.
This is a big enough project that I don't feel the need to get everything reet and compleat right away.
posted
I like the idea of doing the timeline based on publication rather than subsequent stories. It's neat to see a chronology of how the Legion developed from a creative point of view -- what were the writers and artists doing at that point, and why.
BTW, my early knowledge of the Legion is so sketchy that I never knew E. Nelson Bridwell, in his "Origin of the Legion" story, completely made up the part about Triplicate Girl and Phantom Girl being the first new Legionnaires after the founders. Bridwell was always such a stickler for details, I'm surprised he deviated from the published history by that much. Bridwell must have had a compelling reason for doing this.
Another BTW, the reboot followed the Bridwell history pretty closely, with Trip and Tinya being the first new members. I get the impression Waid was following influenced by actual publication history a little, since Star Boy and Sun Boy seem such senior members of the 3boot.
-------------------- ...but you don't have a moment where you're sitting there staring at a table full of twenty-five characters with little name signs that say, "Hi, my superpower is confusing you!"
From: Chicago, IL | Registered: Jul 2004
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quote:Originally posted by Matthew E: Thanks. I just this afternoon looked at the reboot timeline in the Encyclopedia Galactica section, and there's a lot of stuff in there that I either don't have, or have differently. It may take me some time to sort it all out. Especially since there are a lot of gaps in my comic collection for the reboot.
But it wasn't so much that I counted them all having continuous service; it's more that I was thinking, once the Legion was back up and running in #3, that they wouldn't wait for, say, Apparition or Spark to physically show up before considering them to be Legionnaires.
Well, the team is formally reinstituted in The Legion #10 - anyone not there by that point (Apparition, Ferro, Karate Kid) must by any measure, be deemed to have a break in service. Plus, Umbra takes a leave of absence at that point, to go and look into her depowerment, which you don't reflect.
And considering some of the fiddly stuff in your other listings...
Seriously, anyone not in the Bouncing Boy or on Legion World at the start of The Legion #3 left, and have (IMO) to be counted as such.
quote:Originally posted by Matthew E: This is a big enough project that I don't feel the need to get everything reet and compleat right away.
posted
You know the thing I found most interesting? The numbers. During the 5YG, at one point, the Legion was down to four members. Imagine that Legion trying to, I don't know, cope with Sklarian raiders and Organus in the same day.
The Levitz era was full of complaints about the Legion being shorthanded, but the Legion was typically about 20 members strong, or more, during that time. It took the reboot Legion a long time to accumulate that many members.
But the original Legion had a rule about not exceeding 25 Legionnaires. The reboot Legion swept right past that number, topping out at 28 Legionnaires in the DnA period. Still the high-water mark as far as I know (although the threeboot Legion may pass them if enough Wanderers and Terror Firmishers join the core team).
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